Fencepost



P. J. HINDMARSH.

FENCEPOST.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26, 1920.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922 I N VEN TOR.

A T TORNEY.

- planes.

PERCY J. EINDMAR-SH, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

FENCEPOST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 26, 1920. Serial No. 419,690.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Pnncr J. IIINDMARSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenceposts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to fence posts, and in particular to the base or anchorage portions thereof when of metal. My object is to economize in the use of metal and to save cost of manufacture, and at the same time assure efficient anchorage. To this end my invention consists of a fence post having a base of metal with the characteristicsdefined by or embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

In the annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a fence post embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section like Fig. 2 showing a different embodiment of my invention.

In the preferred form of my invention it is embodied in an all-metal post that is T-shaped in cross section and which has on the portion that is embedded in the ground, a vertical series of surfaces that alternately are offset horizontally so that adjacent vertical surfaces are in different planes, which, as the post is driven in the ground, act to press the earth in the opening made by a preceding surface in its descent, and thus effect the compacting of the earth about the buried portion of the post.

Referring now with some detail to what is shown in the drawing, the T-post shown has the face member, 10, which corresponds to the head of the T, provided. at its lower end with a sharpened point, 11, and above such poin has a succession of horizontal flukes, 12, that are in different vertical planes with reference to one another and with reference to the plane of the face of the post, and these planes are 11 referably parallel, although, if desired, the flukes might incline to some extent from strictly vertical A convenient mode of manufacture is to make transverse cuts or incisions, 13, in the face member, 10, that extend inward to or close to the rib member, 14, of the post and to bend the portions between the incisions alternately in opposite directions until they are offset to the desired extent. The flukcs can be bent, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to be substantially straight, but I also may make them as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, where they bend rather sharply outward from the post rib, 14, and then extend substantially parallel with one another, and thus provide ,a larger earth-receiving space be tween the adjacent. offset portions.

It will be seen that when the post is driven only the thin edges of the flukes resist the downward movement of the post, the earth passing freely through vertical spaces between vertically adjacent flukes, and between the latter and the portions of the face member, 10, that are not offset, and that the soil, which is displaced by the point as it descends, is engaged by the immediately following fluke and pressed back to its original position, while the fluke next higher up acts similarly on the soil displaced by the preceding fluke, and so on through the series-OI flukes, and a similar filling and packing action is performed by the unoffset portion of the face member, 10, adjacent the uppermost fluke. Thus the cuts or openings made in the soil are filled and the fiukes are set in soil that is packed about them. It follows that the post may be easily driven and yet by the automatic packing of the soil that takes place, a very good anchorage is secured, and one that is contributed to the offset arrangement of the flukes.

By my construction I a void the necessity of attaching anchor plates that consist of separate pieces which require to be riveted to the post, and thus save the metal and labor which that construction requires and avoid anysubstantial projections from'the post which such anchor plates result in and which make handling inconvenient and awkward.

What I claim is:

l. A fence post having a base of metal provided with thin members, each extending vertically and horizontally and situated in different horizontal planes, each terminating at its bottom in an earth penetrating edge, and one offset from another from top to bottom horizontally in one direction, a higher one being opposite the space immediately above a lower one, whereby such members follow after one another when the post entcrs the earth and a succeeding member tends to crowd the earth towards the open- Patented Feb 7, 1922.-

ing therein due to the passage through the earth of a preceding member.

2. A metal fence post having its groundentering portion pointed at the lower end and having flat side faces, and horizontally offset vertical fiat portions succeeding one another above such pointed end, said flat portions being free at top and bottom and a higher one being opposite the space im mediately above a lower one, whereby such members follow after one another when the post enters the earth and a succeeding mem ber tends to crowd the earth towards the opening therein due to the passage through the earth of a preceding member.

3. A metal fence post T-shaped in cross section and having on its ground entering part vertical surfaces, one above another and in different vertical planes that diverge from one one another at the rib member of the post.

4. A metal fence post T-shaped in cross section and comprising a face member and a rib member, the face member having on the ground entering part of the post fluke members that are free at top and bottom and horizontally offset from surfaces of the face member situated in a different vertical plane and parallel with the vertical plane in which such fluke members lie.

5. A metal fence post T-shaped in cross section comprising a face member and a rib member, the face member having at successive points of its height portions offset in the direction of the rib member that have surfaces in parallel vertical planes, such portions in the direction of the rib member lying between parallel vertical planes and the lower edges of the offset portions being free, said offset portions being on the part of the post that enters the ground.

(5. A. post base of flat metal provided on each edge thereof with two or more alternating anchoring wings lying one above' the other in diverging planes, in combination with the post section and a driving point.

7. A post base of flat metal provided on each edge thereof with two or more alternating anchoring wings lying one above the other in diverging planes, the base having a vertical stiffening member situated between the two sets of wings, in combination with the post section and a driving point.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

PERCY J. HINDMARSH. 

